Experimental nations, or, The invention of the Maghreb
By: Réda Bensmaïa ; translated by Alyson Waters.
Contributors: Waters, Alyson, 1955-
Series: Translation/transnation
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 215
Subjects: North African literature (French) -- History and criticism.
Other titles: Experimental nations; Invention of the Maghreb
Description: Jean-Paul Sartre's famous question, "For whom do we write?" strikes close to home for francophone writers from the Maghreb. Do these writers address their compatriots, many of whom are illiterate or read no French, or a broader audience beyond Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia? In Experimental Nations, Reda Bensmaia argues powerfully against the tendency to view their works not as literary creations worth considering for their innovative style or language but as "ethnographic" texts and to appraise them only against the "French literary canon." He casts fresh light on the original literary strateg.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.